Daisy: Real Love or Obsession?
Everything Gatsby did was for his love of Daisy. On the surface it sounds very romantic and as though its something straight out of some cliche love story. As the story progresses, however, you start to wonder whether or not Gatsby really loved Daisy as a person or just the idea of what she represented. There is evidence that Gatsby was really just fascinated by Daisy’s wealth and class, which she manages to wear so effortlessly. For one, he would describe her voice as “full of money.” (page 120, Great Gatsby) The fact that of all the ways he could have described her voice, he chose to associate it with wealth, means something: it means that the only thing that he notices about her is the fact that she has a lot of money. He never seems to mention anything about her personality or accomplishments. Another example is his insistence that she leave her husband. He repeatedly asks her to tell Tom that she never loved him. He wants the assurance that Daisy was his all along even though she’s married to someone else. Gatsby is obsessive and she’s an object he needs to possess.
So what exactly about wealth and glamour is so appealing to Gatsby? I believe he’s really only there for the status and the idea of wealth, just like he only loves the idea of Daisy, which, in his mind, means money. Sure, everyone loves money, but you can tell that Gatsby’s not really into it all. During Nick Carraway’s first invitation to Gatsby’s party, he notices that Gatsby isn’t really putting himself out there to have fun with his guests and indulge in the craziness of his party. In fact, he isn’t really seen anywhere at all. Nor does he drink. The fact is, he only wants to flaunt what he has and to prove to others his value, and by having Daisy, it means he has it all: old money, new money, and love! In a way it’s understandable, all humans are competitive and have to urge to prove each other better. The manner in which Gatsby attempts to achieve this, though, is a whole new level of insane. His sense of reality was completely flipped upside down by this obsession of his and ultimately, caused his downfall.
Wow I've never thought about it like that before - that Gatsby only wants to show Daisy off, like she's a prize. It does seem likely he loves her for her money, but I always thought it was more in the way that he was enamored by her wealth, not that he wanted to use her for it. When you put it like that, it makes Gatsby sound like a pretty materialistic and shallow guy. I've always felt Gatsby was oblivious to the fact that he loved Daisy's money. Your stance is so interesting!
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